i understand it's not polite to post a long list of unrelated questions, but i am trying to blitzkrieg a computer education through the internet before putting together my own

anyways i do have a long list of unrelated questions (sorry) which would help me understand a few basic computing processes......



how does my BIOS access the hard drive to boot the OS when the BIOS is on the motherboard? does it have to go through the processor?

how would two devices try to use the same IRQ channel if each device is given it's own IRQ address? what types of devices can share IRQ addresses in the computer?

which devices (other than the processor) can read and write directly from the system memory, instead of going through the processor?

what is the relationship between the system buses on the motherboard and the hard drive? do they connect at all?

what is the 'architecture' of the system buses?

and finally.....

how can i tell the difference between a serial connection and a parallel connection?

I have found that the best place to get some answers like this is Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Wikibooks.

It's a virtual treasure trove of getting quick info...